Hydraulic press with rotatable c-clamp head

ABSTRACT

A hydraulic press has an open frame structure. A C-clamp head is rotatably carried by the frame structure. The head has jaws disposable in horizontal position extending forwardly of the frame structure and in vertical position inside the frame structure. One jaw carries a cylindrical ram extending axially between the jaws to press a piece of work disposed therebetween. A hydraulic cylinder carried by the frame is coupled by a flexible hose to the ram. A roller rack can be disposed inside the frame structure for rotatably supporting a tire between the jaws while the ram is operated to break the bead of the tire. A work table can be juxtaposed to the frame structure for supporting a piece of work horizontally while an extension of the ram applies pressure to the piece of work on work table.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Edward Franklin Guenard 741 Strauss St., Karuloops, British Columbia, Canada [211 App]. No. 7,749 7 [22] Filed Feb. 2, 1970 [45] Patented Oct. 19, 1971 [54] HYDRAULIC PRESS WITH ROTATABLE C-CLAMP HEAD 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 157/].26, 100/231 [51] Int. Cl B60c 25/06 [50] Field of Search l57/l.17, 1.2; 1.22, 1.26, 1.28; 227/152; 100/231, 295

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,784,777 3/1957 Ammann 157/1 .26

Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Attorney-Polachek & Saulsbury ABSTRACT: A hydraulic press has an open frame structure. A C-clamp head is rotatably carried by the frame structure. The head has jaws disposable in horizontal position extending forwardly of the frame structure and in vertical position inside the frame structure. One jaw carries a cylindrical ram extending axially between the jaws to press a piece of work disposed therebetween. A hydraulic cylinder carried by the frame is coupled by a flexible hose to the ram. A roller rack can be disposed inside the frame structure for rotatably supporting a tire between the jaws while the ram is operated to break the bead of the tire. A work table can be juxtaposed to the frame structure for supporting a piece of work horizontally while an extension of the ram applies pressure to the piece of work on work table.

PATENTEDubr 19 I9?! F Hlllllll SHEET 10F 3 INVENTOR. EDWARD FRANKLIN GUENARD ATTURAEYS' PATENTEDnm 19 l97l SHEET 20F 3 3,6l3.764

32 INVENTOR.

. EDWARD FRANKLIN GUENARD BY I 3- 17 fiDRNEYS PATENTEnnm 19 l97l 3, 613,764

SHEET 30F 3 INVENTOR. Fig. 5. EDWARD FRANKLIN GUENARD I BY V ATTORNEYS HYDRAULIC PRESS WITH ROTATABLE C-CLAMP HEAD This invention concerns a versatile hydraulic press which can be used for a wide range of pressing jobs in many industries.

Hydraulic presses heretofore known have generally been designed to perform one type of operation. For example a hydraulic press may be designed to operate as a tire bead breaking device or to remove or mount a bearing on a shaft, or to clamp a piece of work under high pressure, etc.

The present invention is directed at providing a heavy duty hydraulic press which can perform all the above mentioned jobs and many other kinds of pressing and clamping operations in a safe, reliable, simple manner. The hydraulic press herein has been named the Clamp Pit. The Clamp Pit comprises a rectangular frame arranged to receive or support work in a vertical or horizontal position. On the frame is a rotatable C-clamp head carrying a fluid-driven ram. Fluid can be compressed air or a liquid. The head can be rotatable manually or by a power-driven mechanism. The head is rotatable between vertical and horizontal positions. The press has a hinged bracket supporting a hydraulic cylinder for the ram. The frame has a massive platform which stabilizes the press. An operator can stand on this platform during operation of the press or a piece of work being pressed can stand on the platform. A roller rack inserted into the frame for supporting a tire during a bead-breaking operation. A table can be added to the press for supporting an axle, shaft and/or other large piece of work during a pressing or clamping operation.

The invention is explained in further detail below with reference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a hydraulic press embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the press.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the press of FIGS. 1, 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the C-clamp head rotated to vertical position to break the bead of a tire shown supported on a roller rack in the press.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the roller rack per FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of an assembly of press and work table with an axle clamped on the table for press fitting a bearing on the axle.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3, there is shown a hydraulic press assembly 10 embodying the basic form of the invention. This device has an open frame structure 12 formed by two vertical rectangular frames 14, 16 each having vertical front rails 18, vertical rear rails 20, horizontal top rails 22 and horizontal bottom rails 24, all welded together to form an integral unit. Horizontal intermediate bars 26, 27 connect the frames. A channel bar 28 is welded across bottom rear comers 29 of the frame. Horizontal bars 30 extend forwardly from front bottom corners of the frames and are joined by horizontal channel bar 32. Further horizontal bars 34 are aligned with bars 30 and are joined by a cross bar 36. A rectangular baseplate 38 is secured to bars 32, 34, 36 and 38. This horizontal plate has a crossgrooved top surface to serve as a nonslip platform upon which an operator can stand safely while operating the press. The platform can also support a piece of work while being worked On top of rails 22 at their forward ends are two bearing blocks 40 secured by bolts 42; see FIG. 3. A shaft 44 extends through bearing blocks and is held in place by end collars 46 provided with setscrews.

Rotatable C-clamp head 50 is supported by shaft 44. This head has massive, flat, parallel jaws 52, 54 and a massive backwall 56 all integrally formed as a unit. Two massive C- plates 58 surround the jaws and backwall and are welded thereto. Blocks 60 on the C-plates near the junction of backwall 56 and jaw 52 carry shaft 44. Brackets 61 are welded to sides of jaws 54. These plates include tubular sleeves 62 which receive a locking pin 64, FIG. 3. The pin has a tumeddown finger 66 at one end, and a pivotable tumbler 68 engaged in slot 70 at the other end of pin 64. Pin 64 extends through bracket eyes 72 secured by bolts to front edges of vertical front rails 18. It will be apparent that when pin 64 is removed, the head 50 can be rotated between the horizontal position shown by solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, to the vertical position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2 and solid lines in FIG. 4. In the horizontal position, the mouth M of the head is open forwardly, with jaws 52 and 54 horizontally disposed. In the vertical position, the jaws 52, 54 are vertical. Rails 22 have rearwardly extending end portions 22' provided with holes 74. Pins 64 can engage in these holes when the head is rotated to the vertical position. When head 50 is in vertical position the mouth M of head is open to the inside of frame 12; see FIG. 4.

A bracket 75 can be pivotally secured to the frame by a hinge 76 attached by screws 77 to one side of a rail 18; see FIG. 3. Bracket 75 has a flat top plate or flange 80 on which is mounted a hydraulic cylinder 82 provided with a handoperated level 84. A flexible hydraulic transmission hose 85 extends from a fitting 88 mounted on the cylinder to fitting 90 of a hydraulic ram 92. The ram is carried by plate 91 at the inner side of jaw 52. Pistons of conventional type (not shown) are provided in both the cylinder and cylindrical ram. Piston shaft 93 can be extended axially from the ram. A tool or tool holder 94 is secured to the piston shaft for extension across the mouth M of the head during operation of the press. A rectangular hole 95 is provided in jaw 54 in alignment with the piston shaft. A long piece of work such as a shaft can be placed on the platform 38, and a bearing or other part can be press fitted on top of the shaft by means of ram 92.

It will be apparent that when the head 50 is in the solid line position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a piece of work to be pressed or clamped can be mounted on jaw 54 under the ram. Then the lever 84 can be operated to force fluid (air or liquid) into the ram to force the piston shaft 93 axially down until tool 94 engages the work and applies the desired pressure.

Arrow A in FIG. 2 shows the direction of rotation of the head for assuming the vertical position. Ram 92 then assumes a horizontal position extending inside frame 12. Cylinder 82 may then be disposed laterally of the frame. Pin 64 engages in holes 74 at the top of the frame while the head rests on crossbar 27 at the bottom. A piece of work can be placed against the rear rails 20 while the piston shaft 93 and tool or tool holder 94 are advanced axially rearwardly to press or clamp the work.

FIG. 4 shows the head 50 in the same vertical indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2, however, cylinder 82 is disposed in the same position as in FIG. 1, extending forwardly and laterally of frame 12. The press assembly 10 is being used to break the head of a tire 98 mounted on a wheel 99. An auxiliary roller rack 100 is employed to support the tire vertically so that rollers 102 rotatably mounted in holes 104 formed in sides of rectangular frames 106, 107. A plurality of vertically spaced holes 104 are provided so that the rollers can be adjustably positioned in the rack. The rack further includes massive horizontal angle bars 108, 110, 112 and vertical bars 114. All the bars and frames are integrally joined together to form a rigid boxlike structure. Frame 106 has an upper free end 106' spaced from the upper end 107' of frame 107 so that the tire can enter the rack to rest on the rollers as clearly shown in FIG. 4. A special bead-breaking tool 94' is mounted on the end of piston shaft 93. When lever 84 is operated, the tool 94' is forced between the head of the tire 98 and flange of wheel 99 to separate the bead from the flange.

For very large tires, the rack 100 will be removed and the press will be used without the rack. The frame 12 can be designed to receive very large truck or tractor tires, such as those used in large, heavy earth-moving equipment. Tires up to ID feet in diameter or even more can be handled easily and efficiently in this press. Heretofore, such tires could not be removed by ordinary tire-removing devices found in repair shops so that it was impossible to do this job in the field. The large wheel had to be removed by ordinary tire-removing devices found in repair shops so that it was impossible to do this job in the field. The large wheel had to be sent to a factory or to a shop equipped with a special machine for removing the large tire from the large wheel. The present invention makes it practical to perform this operation in the field because the press is of general utility and can perform a wide range of other pressing and clamping operations. The relatively small capital investment required by the present press can be afforded by even small repair shops.

FIG. 6 shows another press assembly 10A which extends the range of operations that the press can perform. A table 125 provided with a horizontal top 126 is juxtaposed to rear rails of frame structure 12. Crossbar 28 can be fitted into cutout rear bottom corners 29 so that vertical posts 128 are juxtaposed to rails 20 and are secured by bolts 130. Rear rails 132 are provided with a vertical extension 134 above tabletop 126 to serve as a stop or abutment. An axle 150 of some machine is secured on the tabletop by clamps 160. The axle shown has stub shafts 162, 164 at opposite ends. Shaft 162 abuts the abutment 134. This is being done by means of a pressing tool 170 fitted on the end of an extension bar or shaft 172 attached by coupling 174 to piston shaft 93 of ram 92. As lever 84 is operated, fluid is forced from cylinder 82 through hose 85 to ram 92 to advance the piston shaft. Thus the required pressure is applied to force the bearing 166 on to shaft 164. Many other pressing and clamping jobs can be performed with the assembly 10A shown in FIG. 6.

While a limited number of embodiments and modifications of the invention have been illustrated and described, many variations are possible. For example, although C-clamp head 50 has been shown as a manually rotatable member, the head can be provided instead with a suitable motor-driven mechanism to rotate the head in frame 12. This will avoid hand labor for this operation. Furthermore, instead of a manually operable hydraulic cylinder 82 with hand lever 84, a suitable compressor or source of compressed air or a powerdriven hydraulic cylinder can be substituted. The press can be provided with a multiple-speed, power-driven ram if desired. Many other different types of tools can be attached to the piston shaft of the ram. The press can be made in various sizes depending on applications. The press has general utility in all industries where clamping and pressing operations are regularly perfonned, such as mining, heavy construction, trucking, machine shops, railroad repair shops, ship building, etc. Many other variations and applications of the press are possible within the scope ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hydraulic press, comprising an open frame structure, a C-clamp head rotatably secured to said frame structure to rotate in a vertical plane in the frame, said head having a pair of parallel jaws defining an open mouth, said head being rotatable between a first position where the jaws are horizontal with the mouth opening away from the frame and a second position where the jaws are vertical with the mouth opening downwardly inside the frame; a cylindrical hydraulic ram secured to one of the jaws; said ram having an axially movable piston shaft extensible axially across said mouth toward the other jaw; and means on the frame for retaining the head in either one of the first and second positions, whereby a piece of work disposed between the jaws in said mouth can be pressed by a tool carried by the piston shaft when the piston shaft is extended from the ram.

2. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame structure includes two flat, parallel, vertical rectangular frames; crossbars joining the frames; and a horizontal platform mounted forwardly of one end of the frames for stabilizing the frame structure.

3. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 2, wherein the other one of said jaws has a hole therein aligned with the ram and piston shaft and so arranged that said piece of work can be disposed on the platform and extended upwardly through said hole and between the jaws for pressin by the ram. I

4. A hydraulic press as defined in c mm 1, wherein said aws are joined by an integral backwall inside said mouth; and massive C-plates surrounding the jaws and backwall to reinforce the jaws.

5. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 1, further comprising a bracket mounted by hinge means to one side of the frame structure; and a lever-operated hydraulic cylinder carried by the bracket and connected by a flexible hose to the ram for transmitting hydraulic fiuid between the ram and cylinder,

6. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 2, further comprising a roller rack disposable inside the frame structure for rotatably supporting a tire mounted on a wheel, whereby a bead-breaking tool can be attached to said piston shaft for breaking the bead of the tire at different points while the wheel is rotated on the rack and while the head is disposed in said second position inside the frame structure with the tire disposed between said jaws.

7. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 2, further comprising a worktable juxtaposed to and secured to one of the frames for supporting another piece of work thereon; and an extension shaft coupled to said piston shaft and extensible over and parallel to the top of the table for applying pressure to said other piece of work while the head is in said second position with the jaws vertical and with the ram axially horizontal.

8. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 6, wherein said roller rack comprises a boxlike other frame structure having a pair of spaced horizontal cylindrical rollers rotatably and adjustably engaged in holes in the rack.

9. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 4, further comprising bearing blocks on the frames; and a shaft passing through comers of the C-plates, engaged in said bearing blocks and rotatably supporting the C-clamp head.

10. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 9, wherein the means for retaining the head in both the first and second positions selectively, comprises bracket means carried by the C- plates; and a pin removably engageable by said bracket means and further engageable with parts of said frame structure when the head is in either of the two positions. 

1. A hydraulic press, comprising an open frame structure, a Cclamp head rotatably secured to said frame structure to rotate in a vertical plane in the frame, said head having a pair of parallel jaws defining an open mouth, said head being rotatable between a first position where the jaws are horizontal with the mouth opening away from the frame and a second position where the jaws are vertical with the mouth opening downwardly inside the frame; a cylindrical hydraulic ram secured to one of the jaws; said ram having an axially movable piston shaft extensible axially across said mouth toward the other jaw; and means on the frame for retaining the head in either one of the first and second positions, whereby a piece of work disposed between the jaws in said mouth can be pressed by a tool carried by the piston shaft when the piston shaft is extended from the ram.
 2. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 1, wherein said frame structure includes two flat, parallel, vertical rectangular frames; crossbars joining the frames; and a horizontal platform mounted forwardly of one end of the frames for stabilizing the frame structure.
 3. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 2, wherein the other one of said jaws has a hole therein aligned with the ram and piston shaft and so arranged that said piece of work can be disposed on the platform and extended upwardly through said hole and between the jaws for pressing by the ram.
 4. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 1, wherein said jaws are joined by an integral backwall inside said mouth; and massive C-plates surrounding the jaws and backwall to reinforce the jaws.
 5. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 1, further comprising a bracket mounted by hinge means to one side of the frame structure; and a lever-operated hydraulic cylinder carried by the bracket and connected by a flexible hose to the ram for transmitting hydraulic fluid between the ram and cylinder.
 6. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 2, further comprising a roller rack disposable inside the frame structure for rotatably supporting a tire mounted on a wheel, whereby a bead-breaking tool can be attached to said piston shaft for breaking the bead of the tire at different points while the wheel is rotated on the rack and while the head is disposed in said second position inside the frame structure with the tire disposed between said jaws.
 7. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 2, further comprising a worktable juxtaposed to and secured to one of the frames for supporting another piece of work thereon; and an extension shaft coupled to said piston shaft and extensible over and parallel to the top of the table for applying pressure to said other piece of work while the head is in said second position with the jaws vertical and with the ram axially horizontal.
 8. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 6, wherein said roller rack comprises a boxlike other frame structure having a pair of spaced horizontal cylindrical rollers rotatably and adjustably engaged in holes in the rack.
 9. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 4, further comprising bearing blocks on the frames; and a shaft passing through corners of the C-plates, engaged in said bearing blocks and rotatably supporting the C-clamp head.
 10. A hydraulic press as defined in claim 9, wherein the means for retaining the head in both the first and second positions selectively, comprises bracket means carried by the C-plates; and a pin Removably engageable by said bracket means and further engageable with parts of said frame structure when the head is in either of the two positions. 